Jutanugarn highlights first-round Q-School leaders

Daytona Beach, FL (Sports Network) - Stage I winner Moriya Jutanugarn,
Kathleen Ekey and Kim Welch all fired 4-under 68s on Wednesday to share
the lead after one round of the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament.

This high-stakes, five-day event features 122 golfers battling it our for a
spot on the 2013 LPGA Tour. Only the top 40 finishers and ties will earn a
tour card for next season.

The field consists of qualifiers from Stages I and II, as well as current LPGA
Tour members looking to improve their status for 2013, and players who
finished Nos. 11-20 on the Symetra Tour money list (who do not already have
LPGA status). They are competing at the Champions and Legends courses at LPGA
International.

Rebecca Lee-Bentham and Ashleigh Simon both carded a 69 on Wednesday, while
U.S. Curtis Cup Team member Brooke Pancake and current JLPGA member Chie
Arimura highlight a group of 14 tied at 2-under-par 70.

Karlin Beck, Fiona Puyo, Stephanie Sherlock and Maria Hernandez are currently
tied for 20th place at minus-1. The top 20 players at the event's conclusion
will receive Priority in Category 12. If there is a tie for 20th place, the
final Category 12 spot will decided in a playoff. All other ties will be
broken on the basis of the lowest, most recent round at the Final Qualifying
Tournament.

Stage II winner and former University of South Carolina standout Katie Burnett
shot 72 to reside in a large group tied for 24th place. Two-time LPGA Tour
winner Christina Kim is also in that group.

Last year's winner Numa Gulyanamitta is not in the field this week. She
finished 87th on the 2013 money list to retain her LPGA Tour card.

Christine Song, who ended two strokes back of Gulyanamitta a year ago, is
back in the field. She sits at 2-over after recording a double-bogey, a bogey
and a birdie on Wednesday.

Jutanugarn, a Bangkok, Thailand native who won Stage I at LPGA International
in September, continued her strong play with five birdies en route to a share
of the first-round lead.

She began her day on the Legends course with a par before bogeying the par-5
second. She rebounded with a stretch of pars before carding consecutive
birdies on Nos. 8 and 9 to make the turn at 1-under.

Jutanugarn then alternated birdies and pars from Nos. 12 through 16 before
wrapping up her round with a pair of pars.

Ekey also carded five birdies against a single bogey, while the California
native Welch highlighted her 4-under round with an eagle on No. 18 at the
Champions course.

NOTES: Players finishing in the 21st-45th spots will earn Priority in Category
17 ... A total of five amateurs are in the tournament field ... After 72
holes, the field is cut to the top 70 and ties, then the remaining field will
play the Champions Course for the final round on Sunday ... Last year,
Gulyanamitta carded her second straight 4-under 68 in the final round to come
from behind and win medalist honors. She ended the 5-round marathon at 10-
under 350. Her best finish this year was a tie for 21st at the U.S. Women's
Open Championship in July.